When POPARD receives a referral for a specific student with ASD, parents are involved in all steps of the process. Before POPARD will become involved, parents must provide informed consent. POPARD considers parents as essential partners in developing an effective student support plan. Once the district decides when the student will be seen, the District Partner contacts the parents to notify them of the date of the consult and to invite them to the team meeting. Before the consult, the POPARD consultant assigned to the district will contact the parents to ask for their input, to hear their concerns, priorities and suggestions. At the team meeting, parent participation is valued. Any recommendations or plans agreed to by the team will be distributed to the parents in a written report.

All districts in BC are provided with a number of days they can use each year. Each district assigns a District Partner who coordinates the POPARD services they would like to receive. For student referrals, it is the district, via the District Partner, not POPARD, who determines which students will be seen by POPARD. Educators who would like to receive support or training are asked to speak to their local District Partner.

Consultation:

Student consultation focuses on the needs of an individual student with ASD and their team with the goal of creating a do-able implementation plan.

Class-wide/Program consultation focuses on building the capacity of the teacher, itinerant or school based resource teacher, and improving the overall learning environment for the benefit of all students.

Psycho-educational and Functional Behaviour Assessments:

A limited number of assessments can be provided each year, primarily by our supervised psychology intern. Application for assessments must be done in consultation between the POPARD consultant and District Partner. Priority is given to districts with limited psychology services.

Special Research Projects:

POPARD encourages districts who are interested in launching innovative practices and gathering evidence of efficacy to collaborate with their POPARD consultant. Descriptions and outcomes of some of our special research projects can be found on our website under the 'Research' tab.

Workshops and Professional Development:

A range of topics related to ASD can be tailored to district needs. Professional development can be enhanced by the additional provision of follow-up implementation support.

Training Courses:

POPARD offers a number of introductory to advanced level courses delivered by our highly skilled team. Currently, courses are being offered virtually. When in-person courses are offered they are held at the POPARD training centre in Delta, BC. We sometimes provide in-person courses in school districts, but these are pre-arranged through the POPARD training coordinator and the district partner. For information about courses, visit our Training page.